Peter's face darkened as he gazed at his brother's corpse.
His eyes swept across the marines — and finally locked onto Yuno — filled with icy coldness and murderous intent.
"Marine… How dare you kill my brother? You all deserve to die!"
With a wave of his hand, he stirred up a violent storm, twisting it into a vortex that swept toward the marines.
He was a Devil Fruit user — the wielder of the Kamaitachi Fruit. With a single motion, he could unleash an endless stream of razor-sharp wind blades!
Like invisible knives, the blades of wind lashed out toward Yuno and the others.
Seeing this, Yuno stepped forward, raising his sword. The blade, clad in Armament Haki, clashed against the storm of slashes.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The air rang with the sound of steel grinding against air.
The other marines didn't remain idle. Some launched a Rankyaku (Storm Kick), colliding with the wind blades head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The blades detonated into wild whirlwinds, scattering in every direction.
"Kai Kōshō: Black Spear!"
Hina lunged forward, her hands forming a black railing that she hurled like a javelin.
Whoosh! The spear sliced through the air toward Peter — but with a casual sweep of his arm, he knocked it aside.
"Kamaitachi: Claw Slash!"
Peter's eyes flashed coldly as his hands curled into claws. From the tips of his fingers, whistling blades of wind streaked forward in erratic arcs — difficult to track without Observation Haki.
"Retreat!" a marine shouted in panic, pulling back too late.
"One-Sword Style: Crescent Blade!" Yuno slashed upward, intercepting a portion of the storm.
Swish! Yet many blades slipped past, cutting into the ranks. Marines cried out as wounds split open and blood splattered across the field.
"Be on guard! Pirates approaching from all sides!" Yuno's Observation Haki caught the dense movement closing in.
The Kama Pirates surged into the fray.
"Enemy attack! It's the Kama Pirates!" a marine bellowed.
A fierce battle erupted instantly.
Binz charged forward, his vines lashing at Peter, but the pirate dodged and countered with a slash of wind, hurling him back and tearing a deep wound across his chest.
"Swallow Kick!" Ain vaulted gracefully, her long legs whipping through the air in a spinning kick.
Peter calmly tracked her movements with Observation Haki. A flick of his finger sent a wind blade deflecting her strike. He stamped down with one foot, unleashing a whirlwind that boosted his speed as he lunged at her.
His fury demanded blood. He couldn't yet kill Yuno — the strongest among them — so he set his sights on the women. If he couldn't crush the culprit, he'd vent his wrath by cutting them down… or taking one hostage to break the marines' spirit.
Hina gasped, trying to use Soru, but she was too far.
Ain froze in mid-air, unable to move. Her eyes widened as Peter closed in, his lips curling into a savage grin.
"I'll cut you down first!"
His hand chopped forward like a blade, unleashing a compressed wind slash with the force of a master swordsman.
Blood was about to spray—
—but in that instant, a figure blurred forward.
Yuno seized Ain around the waist, spinning aside in a single, lightning-fast step that carried them out of range.
He set her gently atop a nearby rooftop. "Are you alright?"
Ain, pale and trembling, nodded. "I-I'm fine…"
"Good. His ability's too dangerous. Fall back," Yuno ordered.
She bit her lip and nodded. If not for him, she would've been split in two.
Hina exhaled shakily, rushing to Binz's side. He was bleeding but alive — the wound wasn't fatal.
At this level, none of them could stand against Peter.
Peter's eyes locked on Yuno, blazing with hatred. Yet even in his rage, he retained a sliver of reason. He knew he couldn't waste too much time here.
"Remember this, Marine! I will avenge my brother. I'll hunt down your friends and family… and slaughter them one by one!"
He snarled and gave the order: "Kama Pirates — retreat!"
Instantly, his crew obeyed, their discipline unnervingly sharp for pirates.
"…Not blinded by hatred? And that level of order… hardly pirate-like," Yuno muttered. But he wasn't about to let them escape.
This was his chance to earn merit — merit that could win him promotions, rare items, maybe even a proper sword to replace his plain iron blade.
"Don't even think about running!" Yuno's eyes flared. "One-Sword Style: GETSUGA TENSHO!"
His sword erupted with a torrent of energy. The scarlet gleam in his eyes matched the arc of the blade as he swung down. A massive crescent slash, dozens of meters wide, tore through the battlefield.
Gasps rang out as both marines and pirates recoiled in shock.
Peter's face contorted. His Observation Haki screamed danger. With a roar, he unleashed his full strength:
"Kamaitachi: Storm Barrage!"
His arms blurred, releasing a torrent of blades that met Yuno's slash head-on.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The air howled with violent clashes as steel and wind shredded each other.
But Yuno's slash kept pressing forward, inch by inch!
"Break it—Kama Slash!!" Peter screamed, fusing his blades into a single massive arc.
BOOOOM!
The two titanic strikes collided.
A blinding shockwave tore the battlefield apart. Dust surged skyward in a towering plume as the earth flattened for a hundred meters around.
Across the island, heads turned at the thunderous blast.
Zephyr's expression darkened as he raced toward the port. Even for him, it would take precious minutes to arrive.
"Why are pirates of this caliber here…?" Rage welled inside him. His students were in real danger.
…
Meanwhile, a marine warship drew closer across the sea.
From the observation deck, a lookout shouted: "Rear Admiral Stoloberg! We've spotted the Kama Pirates' ship ahead! And there's a warship anchored in the harbor!"
"Warship?" Stoloberg raised an eyebrow. "Whose ship? North Blue Branch?"
The lookout peered again. "No… it looks like one of the training camp's ships, sir!"
"Training camp?" Stoloberg muttered in surprise. "Could one of my colleagues be leading new recruits here?"
His sharp eyes gleamed. He had pursued the Kama Pirates relentlessly. Rumors tied them to a faction in the New World — capturing them could yield invaluable intel.
Even if not, a bounty of over a hundred million was merit enough.
And with that, the promotion he sought — Vice Admiral — would finally be in his grasp.
This was a goal he had been striving toward for years, and with the promotion so close, Stoloberg wasn't about to give up.
"I hope nothing unexpected happens…"
He snorted inwardly, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable light, as the warship pressed forward toward the harbor.
…
"This noise…"
From afar, Hawkins watched the smoke curling into the sky, his expression solemn.
This sound reminded him of the battles that had once erupted on the island.
A strange thought crossed his mind—so many battles had broken out on Bavilijiang Island recently, and all on this scale!
"The mighty ones of the sea… It seems I should also set sail soon."
Hawkins's eyes gleamed with resolve. After witnessing such overwhelming power, he too felt the urge to grow stronger. Perhaps leaving the island would be the best choice.
Thinking this through, he decided to head over and see for himself who was fighting. Without Observation Haki, he had no choice but to rely on his eyes—so he chose to go alone.
…
On the battlefield.
The shockwave from the earlier clash had finally subsided. As the smoke and dust dispersed, everyone could see the devastation: a massive crater gaped in the ground, and all those nearby had been hurled away by the violent blast.
The surrounding buildings had collapsed, rubble scattered everywhere.
"Damn it…"
Peter dragged himself out of the crater. Having been the closest to the blast, he had taken the brunt of it and been blown away. Still, with a bounty of over 100 million berries and considerable strength, he had avoided serious injury.
He glared at Yuno, his expression twisted with malice. This guy… so strong…
Behind him, the gathered Marines stared at Yuno in shock.
Until now, most of them only knew Yuno for his swordplay in his spar with Shuzo. But after witnessing swordsmanship powerful enough to reshape the battlefield, they were left wide-eyed and speechless.
Ian and Hina both stood frozen, mouths slightly open in disbelief.
After a long pause, Hina sighed. "Yuno… your strength has already surpassed ours. Even some of those who've graduated might not be your match."
Several of their peers had already passed graduation—Drake, with his Ancient Zoan Tyrannosaurus form, and Smoker, wielder of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. Yet even they might not be able to stand against Yuno now. After all… Yuno had already mastered the basics of Armament Haki.
Ian nodded grimly. The more he learned about Yuno, the more he felt he was staring at a monster.
But Yuno's expression didn't change. His Observation Haki had already confirmed that Peter's presence was still strong.
"Be careful!"
He suddenly slashed through the air, colliding head-on with a flying wind blade. The two forces canceled each other out in a violent blast.
"I'll take on their leader. You take out the rest!"
With that declaration, Yuno blurred forward, charging straight for Peter.
The Marines exchanged glances, then roared and rushed out, clashing fiercely with the pirates.
Peter's face darkened. He unsheathed the longsword at his waist, the blade vibrating with a high-pitched hum as compressed air whirled around it like a chainsaw. Its cutting power was immense.
He could tell Yuno wasn't planning to let them escape. This battle would be settled here and now.
Grinding his teeth, Peter resolved to go all out. He raised his blade high and slashed with devastating force.
Though a Devil Fruit user, Peter was also a master swordsman. His wind blades infused every strike, making his swordsmanship even more lethal.
"Clang!"
The blades met with a metallic crash.
Yuno, sensing the wind energy coating Peter's weapon with his Observation Haki, wasted no time. He clad his own sword in Armament Haki to block.
The clash sent cracks spiderwebbing across the ground.
"Hah!"
They broke apart, only to swing again in the same instant.
"Boom!"
The ground split apart under the impact of their blows.
Yuno stepped in sharply, aiming a slash across Peter's waist. Peter twisted away and countered with a ferocious strike.
Yuno shifted, flashing behind him and attacking again. Peter spun to block, their swords colliding with another thunderous crack, forcing both men back.
"GETSUGA TENSHO!"
"Kama Slash!"
Twin arcs of sword energy screamed through the air, colliding in an eruption of dust and wind.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Their blades clashed in a furious storm of steel, sparks flying.
Yuno's training had paid off—his body had grown far stronger, his movements sharper, his stamina greater. At this point, he was nearly on par with veterans of the Elite Training Unit.
And with Armament Haki flowing steadily across his blade, he held his ground against Peter.
He's at least Rear Admiral level…
From the force reverberating through his sword, Yuno could roughly gauge Peter's power—comparable to Rear Admiral Cage.
But his Observation Haki also told him something else: Zephyr was drawing near.
So Yuno resolved to end this.
For merit. For achievement points. For his fallen comrades.
"Swish!"
Yuno's movements suddenly quickened, his rhythm shifting. Before Peter could react, he was at his side.
"Swish!"
With one clean stroke, Yuno severed Peter's sword arm at the root.
"AAAHHH!!"
Peter screamed, but his willpower held. He thrust a foot forward, sending a massive wind blade crashing toward Yuno.
Yuno slipped past, reappearing at a distance, his blade raised overhead.
His voice cut through the air, cold and sharp:
"One sword… for my fallen comrade!"
"GETSUGA TENSHO!"
A gleaming crescent slash roared forth, even more fearsome than before, carving straight toward the horrified Peter.
"Boom!"
The sword energy engulfed him, tearing through the ground and leaving a deep scar across the battlefield.
Yuno's Observation Haki flickered—Peter's presence had vanished.
The pirate known as "Sickle Weasel" Peter, bounty 105 million berries, was dead.
From the first clash to his final breath, less than five minutes had passed.
At that moment, Zephyr arrived, just in time to witness it. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Yuno's strength had already reached the level of a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.
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